EMI Music Charity To Aid Music Education

Some U.K. primary schools have just 22 pence (43 cents) per pupil per annum to spend on musical instruments, according to research carried out on behalf of the EMI Music Sound Foundation (EMI MSF) charity.

The report was published today to coincide with a £200,000 ($399,000) financial package from the charity, aimed at improving teacher training and resources in around 150 English primary schools.

The charity is celebrating its 10th anniversary and boasts patrons including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, Sir Simon Rattle, Yoko Ono, Diana Ross and Tina Turner. It has so far awarded more than £2.7 million ($5.37 million) to improve young people's access to music.

Institute of Education (IoE) -- the educational and social research body attached to University College, London -- which carried out the research on behalf of EMI MSF, said it found that many teachers had little or no training in how to teach music, and lack the skills and confidence to deliver lessons properly.

It also discovered that 12 of the schools surveyed had only £200 ($398) or less to spend on music.

Now, with the charity's support, 150 schools will be linked to 32 specialist performing arts and music colleges currently sponsored by the EMI MSF. They will benefit from specialist music teacher training plus access to new resources such as sheet music, percussion instruments, ICT to help with composition and listening skills and music books for young children.

EMI CEO Eric Nicoli, also chairman of EMI MSF, said in a statement: "Disappointingly, music is still the poor relation on the curriculum in many schools across the country. This is a shame as music is an activity which genuinely engages children and helps them develop in so many positive ways. Britain is renowned as having produced some of the world's finest musical talent and we should offer all our children the chance to enrich their creativity through music."

Professor Susan Hallam of the IoE added in a statement: "If more proof was needed about why music education should be taken more seriously, this is it. If each primary school had access to just one day of specialised music training, this study has shown us that every pupil could see a real benefit."

The IoE will continue to investigate and analyse the effect of teacher training on pupils in primary schools and a final report is due for completion in August.